Black Light
by horsie890
Summary: Sometimes darkness isn't all that causes pain. Sometimes it's the people we hate, and other times it's the ones we love the most. [Sequel to my fic 'Into the Darkness']
1. Chapter 1

There was no getting around it. He would never be happy again.

Nexis tried to remember how Laska had loved him, how much he still loved her…but it only made his heart ache more.

Because of all that had happened, the Organization was falling apart at the seams. Everyone from Castle Oblivion was gone, a part of the darkness. Except for Laska. She had gone to the light, just as she had always hoped. Nexis had no idea what had become of Axel; he had just randomly disappeared instead of being killed by Sora or Riku like the others had. Rumors of someone fitting his description flitted around Twilight Town, but Nexis often found none of them to be true. He didn't even know if he wanted to run into Axel again. Nexis didn't really care about Axel, or the Organization, or anything else. All that mattered to him was that Laska was gone.

Sitting in the darkness, he felt the fiery rage build up in his heart, remembering when he had first found out.

_Very suddenly, various flashing images began appearing before his eyes. Pictures of Laska from their childhood. The two of them playing together...the bracelet...her beautiful smile…and then an excruciatingly painful jolt in his own heart. His eyes widened, and he let out a cry of disbelief. A heart had faded...a strong one. As his own heart raced, fearing the worst, he held out his hand and tried to look at Laska's heart. _

_It didn't show up. He tried harder and harder...it wouldn't appear. He couldn't believe it...he wouldn't. The look of despair on his face turned to fury and rage...his mind couldn't take it. __**Laska was gone.**_

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of small, rounded objects. Sky blue, cotton threads lingered on some of the sharper edges, but he didn't care. Clutching the beads tightly in his fist, he held it close to his heart, a soothing feeling washing over him. He had yet to piece the bracelet together again, but somehow, he didn't have the heart to do it. He didn't know why, but something told him that it wouldn't solve anything. He gently placed the beads in his pocket and tried to go to sleep, but thoughts of Laska kept filling his head.

"Life just couldn't get any worse right now…" he said, realizing how hoarse his voice sounded. 'Of course,' he thought. 'I've been crying almost nonstop for the past few days. Of course it would sound weird when I talk.' Still unable to drift off to sleep, he rose and stood by the window, pulling back the curtains to look across Twilight Town. The golden sunset numbed his mind, letting him forget his heartache if only for a fleeting moment. Nothing would completely take his mind off of Laska though. Or the fact that he was still a member of the Organization he was beginning to hate so much.

Perhaps Axel wasn't going to be the only traitor.

* * *

"I don't even see why she got to join the Organization XIII in the first place," the man said with a hint of anger. 

"Well, it _was_ your decision, wasn't it?" the other man said, enunciating his words clearly.

"No, Xemnas just said it was okay."

"Same difference. All that matters now is that Roxas can join. He is, after all, a real Nobody. The girl was not."

"Which leads to my question: Why did she join? It doesn't make any sense to me! She ended up killing the Superior-"

"Xemnas is not dead."

"What? But she killed him!"

"It was only a replica of him. Someone as powerful as Xemnas does not lose quite so easily."

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!" The other man was silent, contemplating his answer.

"I cannot tell you."

"Why not!"

"Only someone that's actually _in_ the Organization would know." The man summoned a large dark portal and stepped, more frustrated than before.

"I guess I'll go ask Nexis then."

"You do that, Axel."


	2. Chapter 2

Nexis wandered the golden streets of Twilight Town, lost in his thoughts and not paying much attention to the world. He often did this to clear his mind, even if it was only temporarily. He always hoped he would never run into any of the other Organization members, but knew that his luck wouldn't last forever. Sure enough, just as he was about to turn a corner, he caught a glimpse of dark smoke, then heard footsteps continuing down the alley, away from him. He looked and saw none other than Axel, who was apparently searching for something. 'Probably me.' He started to walk the other way, hoping he wouldn't be noticed, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. He would've opened a portal, but Axel would easily sense that. Plus, he always had difficulty opening the realm of darkness so freely, especially since he had never really accepted the darkness.

"Hey!" Without a second glance, Nexis began to run, dodging the few remaining people on the street. He felt Axel following him, and accidentally turned to a dead end. A dark portal opened in front of him, and he half-expected to see Axel step out of it. Instead, a man with ice blue hair and glowing golden eyes approached him.

"Nexis," he said smoothly, without emotion.

"Saïx." The man grinned, showing slightly pointed teeth.

"Have you seen Axel recently?" Nexis felt Axel's presence nearby, but he abruptly stopped moving, as if he knew that Saïx was here.

"No. I would've told you if I had."

"Well, if you do, notify one of the other members immediately. Axel is no longer acting in our best interests." He snapped, and another portal opened behind him.

"Have a nice day," he said as he backed into it, smiling again. That always scared Nexis; Saïx smiling reminded him of a wolf. His pointed ears and teeth certainly didn't help to change that.

"Thanks for getting rid of the elf for me." Axel stepped around the corner, smirking.  
"No problem. Just don't chase after me anymore and we'll be even."  
"I _was_ trying to talk to you, but you didn't want any part of it, so I guess I'll just go…" He trailed off, opening a dark portal, as if to leave.

"Wait." He smirked again, dismissing it instantly.  
"Yes?"  
"You're already here, so why not tell me whatever it was?"

"Actually, I have a question. Do you think Laska might have a Nobody?" Nexis thought about it.

"You know, she just might. It would make sense, but…where would we find her Nobody?"  
"That was my next question. Now, I don't know if you ever figured this out, but there is a way to recover our lost hearts."

"What? How?"

"Through Kingdom Hearts. Every time Sora kills a Heartless, its captive heart is released and becomes part of Kingdom Hearts. Once Xemnas thinks there are enough hearts, we will try to use its power to recover our own hearts and become complete. We can finally exist."

"How do you know that our hearts will all be a part of this Kingdom Hearts?"

"We don't. That's why we want Sora to get rid of as many Heartless as possible. It's almost funny. Maleficent summons tons of Heartless for him to fight, and she hasn't figured out that that helps us toward our goal!"

"So you're saying that once Kingdom Hearts has enough hearts, everyone in the Organization might get their hearts back?" Axel's face turned serious instantly, as if he had been expecting this.

"I'm not sure. I have a feeling Xemnas is going to use its power for himself. That's what I've been investigating. That's why Saïx is after me. He's like Xemnas's slave or something. Xemnas doesn't care, though. I have a feeling that he's going to betray the Organization. That's why I'm betraying it first." Nexis laughed lightly.

"I had a feeling it might be something like that. But, just in case you're wrong and we _do_ get our hearts back, I think I'll stay with it for a while." 'If I can find Laska's Nobody, maybe I can get her heart back, too,' he thought to himself.

"It's been nice chatting with you, Nexis, but I'm afraid I have to go. I'm looking for someone." Axel stepped through a dark portal that had just appeared, smirking to himself as he went. "Do me a favor: don't tell anyone you saw me."

"Sure thing, Axel," said Nexis as the portal closed. He turned and walked back to the street, acting as if nothing had happened. 'If there's a chance that I could get Laska's heart back, I should take it. But first I have to find her Nobody.'

* * *

Roxas said hi to Pence and Olette, who stood on the cobblestone streets of Twilight Town. "Morning," called Olette as she began walking toward Roxas. She suddenly froze, as did Pence. 

"Huh?" A girl appeared in front of him, her bright blue eyes a burst of color compared to her pale skin and white dress. She smiled at him.  
"Hello, Roxas."  
"…hi…And you are-" She stopped him.  
"I wanted to meet you at least once."  
"Me?"

"Yes, you." She turned and walked away, and Olette and Pence began walking again the moment she went out of sight. Pence complained about Olette dragging him along to go shopping, but at this point, Roxas was only staring into the distance after the girl. After Olette and Pence left, Roxas walked down the street toward the Sandlot. He didn't notice a pair of lime green eyes watching him from the shadows. The enigma waited until Roxas was out of earshot, then whispered to himself, "Roxas. It's been a while. Well, that's all about to change." He stepped backward slowly into a large dark portal he had summoned moments earlier.

* * *

Nexis walked into the small café, greeted by the smells of coffee and sounds of muttered conversation. He noticed none of it, eyes clouded over with distant thoughts. Paying no attention to the other people, he began to walk toward the back of the room until he heard a familiar voice singing quietly, if you could even call it a song. 

"Attack of the radioactive hamsters from a planet near Mars!" Nexis approached the young musician cautiously.  
"Hey, Demyx." Demyx promptly stopped the insane song and smiled up at Nexis.  
"Hi Nexis. How's life treatin' ya?" He had trouble responding

"…I've had better days." The smile immediately vanished from Demyx's face.  
"I heard about what happened at Castle Oblivion. You must really be upset about losing her, huh?" Nexis glanced away, holding back the tears he knew were coming.

"Yeah…"

"I don't really understand what you're going through, but…maybe I can help." Summoning the blue sitar, Demyx sat down on the floor, completely ignoring the rest of the people in the café. He plucked each string of the instrument in turn, tightening various knobs to tune the strings. Then, softly at first but growing in strength, he began to sing.

"I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while  
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok  
But that's not what gets me…

What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you fade away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do." The song resurrected the tears in Nexis's eyes, bringing back the dark memories that had been swept away.

It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doing it  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still harder  
Getting up, getting dressed, living with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken…

What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you fade away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do." Nexis noticed that a few people were starting to notice Demyx's singing, and some of the starry-eyed girls were sighing a lot. Demyx had his eyes closed, but smiled a little as he sang, seeming to realize that he was attracting a crowd of fans. Nexis also caught that his singing voice was a lot smoother than his normal, annoying voice.

"What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you fade away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do

Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do." He lingered on the last note, letting in hang in the air. Nexis felt a calming wave wash over him, and for the first time since Laska's death, he felt at peace. Demyx stood, dismissing the sitar, and bowed with a flourish. He winked at the girls, and they all sighed.

"Stay cool!" Tendrils of darkness surrounded him, and he vanished, singing the rest of "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars". Nexis quietly left the café, causing the crowd to disperse as if nothing had happened. Nexis walked back to his house, reveling in the inner peace the music had brought him. He actually looked up, watching where he was going, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He didn't understand _why_, though. Music had never really had any effect on him, let alone bring such a respite to so much pain and suffering. 'It's got to be because of Demyx's magic. That must be it.'

Or perhaps it was because it hit so close to home.

Nexis unlocked the front door and stepped inside, flipping on the light switch nearby as he closed the door. A faint sparkle caught his eye, and he went over to the table where he saw it. He nearly fainted when he did.

Because lying on the flat, pale surface was a circlet of sky-blue beads swirling with clouds, threaded together with unbroken ice-blue string.


	3. Chapter 3

Nexis automatically put a hand in his pocket, grasping at empty air. He looked back at the table, seeing a folded piece of paper he hadn't noticed before. He gingerly picked it up and opened it, staring at the thin cursive writing.

_I'll see you again soon. I promise._

'Again…that must mean…Laska's alive? Or maybe she has a Nobody…' Nexis stepped backwards, his mind reeling with possibilities and old memories.

'There's only one way to get any answers.' He slid the bracelet and note into his pocket, then set out the door once again, knowing exactly where to go. As he closed the door behind himself, a figure stepped out of the shadows nearby, watching after him with concerned eyes. She waited until he was out of earshot to speak.

"Nexis…I'm sorry I can't meet you yet…but I _will_ see you soon. I promise."

* * *

Axel sat on top of the clock tower, staring at the sky's fiery, brilliant colors with almost a smile. It always made him feel at peace, helping him forget, even for a moment, the twisted storyline of betrayal and disaster that was his nonexistent life.

"I knew I'd find you here." His smile instantly turned sour at the sound of the foreign voice.

"What do you want, Nexis? This is _my_ spot. So if you don't mind-"  
"I need your help." Axel half-turned, just enough to see the desperate look on Nexis's face.

"With what, dare I ask?" Nexis took out the bracelet, showing it to Axel, whose emerald eyes widened immediately. Axel stood up and took the bracelet from Nexis, studying it carefully. He also read the note, getting more confused by the second.

"So what do you think is going on?" Nexis asked, hoping for a response. Axel shook his head, never taking his eyes off of the bracelet.  
"I don't know. All this does is help confirm my theory: Laska has a Nobody. And apparently she knows where you are. So, yes, I suppose I _do _know what is going on."

"But why would she take the bracelet from me and fix it? It doesn't make any sense."  
"Maybe there's two," he said nonchalantly. Nexis raised an eyebrow, questioning this new development.

"How can there be two if I only made one?"  
"Because there's more than one Twilight Town. We're currently in the real one; DiZ created the other one about the same time Laska died, so her Nobody probably went there. Then she must have found out about the real Twilight Town and followed you here. Since she still had the bracelet when she was created, she probably gave it to you." Nexis nodded, finally understanding the situation.

"The only thing I don't get is why she hasn't found me yet."  
"That I can't answer."  
"You don't have to. Thanks, Axel."

"Yeah, no problem," he said, throwing the bracelet back to Nexis. "It's what I'm here for." Nexis nodded and walked away, leaving Axel alone once again. Axel waited patiently, biding his time until Nexis was gone.

"You can come out now," he said, eyes glancing off to a shadowed wall nearby. The deep orange shadows darkened until they were black, taking the form of someone. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealed by the glowing golden sunlight. A hood covered her face, but this didn't faze Axel.

"I know who you really are. So why do you keep avoiding him?"

The girl said nothing, but Axel could hear her thoughts.

"What could you possibly be afraid of?"

She seemed taken aback by this, startled that he knew what she was thinking, but still said nothing.

"He's too desperate not to believe you." Her mind remained blank for a short time, and Axel continued to speak. It was as though he was talking to himself.

"You really scared him with that bracelet thing. Stop being so unfair to him."

"…"

"That's a lame excuse." Angry thoughts filled her mind, and Axel grew serious, still not looking directly at her.

"You know, if you're going to go through with this, then you'd better make a more convincing argument than that. Nexis may be desperate, but he's not stupid. Even _you_ should be able to figure that out," he said condescendingly. Infuriated at this, she threw a small weapon at Axel, but he easily caught it between two fingers, holding it up to the light and watching its sun-drenched, golden glint reflect off the walls and illuminate the shadows.

"And you should probably practice that, too. I didn't invent that whole situation just to amuse myself, you know. Although that's a nice side effect." He flung the weapon back at her, and she caught it between her fingers, much like Axel had.

"Well, get going. Time doesn't wait for anyone, especially not Nobodies like us." A black miasma surrounded her, and she was gone instantly, the darkness dissipating as quickly as it had come. Axel smirked and turned his gaze back to the horizon, watching the everlasting colors flutter across the sky. That girl had just proven his theory. She had inadvertently revealed her identity, and now he was going to make the most of it.

It was easy to manipulate people.

* * *

"I told ye I'd only let ye borrow it fer three days, but that ye could keep it if ye paid me. So where's me munny?" It took all of her strength not to attack him right then and there. He was a crazy, drunken old fool, nothing more or less than that. It was all he had ever been and all he ever would be.

So why did she have to put up with him?

"I asked ye a question, girly! Where's me munny? I's bein' awful generous to ye."  
"I told you I just need a little more time."  
"Then give it back to me 'fore I knock yer pretty little head off!"

"I…can't," she said through gritted teeth, glaring at him with cold eyes.

"Didja lose it?"

"…no…"

"Then how come ye don't have it?" What would she say? That she gave it to someone? She was in no danger of losing a fight to this geezer, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. That was the last thing she needed right now.

"I'll have the munny by…tomorrow." She'd steal it if she had to. Anything to get rid of this shriveled useless freak.

'Why didn't I steal the stupid thing in the first place? It would have been way easier if I had…stupid, stupid, stupid!' she thought, mentally chiding herself for this whole mess. It could all have been avoided if she had just stolen the stupid thing.

"Ye'd better, er else…" He drew a finger across his throat threateningly, as if to intimidate her. She mentally rolled her eyes, never blinking, and stalked out of the quiet shop. She walked down the shadowed street, filled with loathing and hatred. She began brainstorming a list of ways that she wanted to kill him, smirking occasionally. The girl was walking by a dark alley and stopped, sensing something strange nearby. She slowly stepped into the shadows, then heard something drop by her feet, ringing with a metallic sound. She picked up the small bag, and gasped when she opened it. Inside there had to be no less than 5,000 munny.

"Who-"

"Shh." She could faintly see a dark portal opening, and an Organization member ran through it instantly. Instead of following, she slid the small pink bag into her pocket and casually left the alley. Turning back, she whispered, "Thank you," to whoever it was, and went back to the shop. She burst through the door and slammed 200 munny on the counter, startling the man awake from his obvious hangover. He grinned greedily at her, showing only a few crooked teeth. He took the orbs and cradled them in his hands, completely ignoring her.

She looked around to make sure no one else was around and hurled three small weapons at him, causing him to scream out in pain. He held a hand to his eye, blood running through his gnarled fingers. She showed no reaction, ignoring his pain completely, and proceeded out the door again, leaving the old man alone in his suffering.

'It would have been easier for both of us if he had just given the stupid thing to me. Oh well. No loss for me.'


	4. Chapter 4

'So Laska's Nobody knows about me, but for some reason she won't approach me…I wonder why?' Nexis slowly paced back and forth in his room, contemplating all Axel had said. 'Maybe she doesn't know it's me…no, I think Laska would know better than that. But her Nobody…maybe she doesn't remember me…that would make sense. I didn't fully remember Laska when I became a Nobody.'

He stopped pacing, staring at the bracelet for the thousandth time that day. The circlet held so much more than simple glass and thread. All of Nexis's fear, hatred, anger, sorrow, compassion, and love was contained within the swirling milky mist of each ice-colored bead.

How desperately he wanted to find her. He couldn't even begin to explain how much he missed her, how much he loved her, how incredible it had been when he'd found her-

And how much it had hurt to have her torn away from him just when they were starting to realize their feelings for each other. The heartache still existed, and he knew it always would. Dropping the bracelet on the counter, he decided to take a walk to clear his head. Too many thoughts crowded his mind. As he opened the door, he cast a solemn glance back at the bracelet, emotions flooding through him like waves.

* * *

A shadowed figure waited outside. She shifted, trying to stay hidden, but it was hard. She held a hand against her pocket, trying to stop the jingling sound of the munny pouch, and smirked wryly to herself.

'Usually I don't have enough munny; now I have too much.' Again she fought the urge to run to Nexis, restraining herself with sheer willpower.

'Not yet,' she thought silently. 'You have to be patient. As soon as he leaves, you can put the next phase of the plan into motion. But you have to be _patient_.'

It was definitely not in her nature to wait for things to happen; she liked unpredictability, for things to happen quickly without anyone knowing. It was easy for her to react to such things, having catlike reflexes and being able to get out of any situation. However, this time she needed to wait, and wait she did. '_There_.'

The front door of Nexis's house finally opened, and he briskly walked outside, forgetting to lock the door in his haste. She smirked; this was going to be even easier than she had thought. The girl ran inside when Nexis was out of sight, closing the door behind her, and began glancing around for what she was hunting. There was no telling when Nexis would return, so she had to work quickly.

She saw the bracelet on the counter and grabbed a small bag from her pocket. The bag was made of rich purple velvet and drawn with a cord of the same color. Loosening the drawstring, the girl first removed her black glove, taking a moment to marvel at the paleness of her own skin. She took a handful of the sparkling white dust inside the bag, holding just enough of it in the palm of her hand. She whispered a name before gently blowing across her hand, scattering the glittery substance across the bracelet. She blew off the excess powder and waited for it to evanesce into the object, blending with the white clouds of glass inside the beads and adding to the sparkling copper wisps that adorned them.

'That should do it.' She watched as the powder slowly began to disappear, hopefully starting to work. 'I got really lucky getting this stuff. It's a good thing that guy wasn't paying attention to his words…' she thought as she began to recall the incident.

* * *

She pretended to have found what she was looking for, but the man was watching her every move, as if he thought she was going to steal something. A small bell rang, and they both looked towards the door: another customer had entered the shop, and the girl sighed quietly as they began to chat like old friends. Pretending to look at a few trinkets near the front of the shop, she listened to every word they were saying.

"Ye see this stuff? This stuff's amazin'! Makes ye ferget things 'n such. An' there's a special thing ye kin do so that it replaces memories! Ain't that amazin'?"

"Yep, that's really sumthin'." She was able to understand most of what they said, but still had to wonder if the man was telling the truth. He seemed like the type to tell tall tales. Making a mental note to swipe whatever it was they were talking about, she interrupted their conversation to ask to look at something. When the shopkeeper retreated to the back of the store and the other customer left, she grabbed a small purple bag off of the counter, along with a small piece of paper next to it (presumably the instructions), shoving both in her pockets just as he returned. Eyeing her suspiciously, he grudgingly told her they didn't have whatever meaningless item she had asked for.

"However," he said, a crooked grin creeping onto his face. "I got something' ye might like." He reached a hand into his pocket, pulling out a handful of pale blue and white circles, threaded together with a similar color of string. The girl caught her breath, instantly recognizing it in shock.

"Where did you get this!" she demanded, immediately chiding herself for seeming so eager.

"That's my business, not yers."  
"You stole it from someone."

"Now, now, let's not be so accusin'."  
"Can I have it?" He almost burst into laughter.  
"Are ye crazy? I be runnin' a business here, not a place where people kin get free stuff! 200 munny," he said firmly.

"Can I borrow it for a few days at least? I don't have enough munny to buy it right now." The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully, contemplating.  
"10 munny a day."  
"Deal." She shook his gnarled hand and crammed the bracelet into her pocket.

"Where's the munny, then?"

"I never said I had to pay you today." She nonchalantly sauntered out of the shop, the old man calling after her, "Ye'd better pay me, missy, or I'm gonna kill ye!"

* * *

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the doorknob turning. Had she really been lost in her memory for that long? Thankful for her reflexes, she quickly summoned a weak portal, one just strong enough to get out of there but that would still dissipate instantly. Just as the last tendril of darkness had vanished when she ran through it, the door opened and Nexis entered. He sensed that something was amiss, but thought no more of it the second he saw the bracelet on the counter, safe, sound, and untouched. 

As he looked at it, it seemed more beautiful, more brilliant. He realized it must have been because he had just had time to clear his head, and now that some of the heaviness was gone from his heart, things would probably seem better. Nexis suddenly wanted to hold the bracelet, feel its cool round beads and soft threads. He slid the gloves off of his hands and gently picked it up, running his fingers over the surface of each bead. A strange feeling overcame him, but he brushed it off, staring intently at each bead.

Different images started to flash through his head. Some were of a red-haired girl, and others were of a blonde one. They seemed to be related somehow, although he couldn't say for sure. They almost seemed to be the same person, but he could easily tell how different they were. The red-haired one was kind and caring, while the blonde was cold and unfeeling. Then, without warning, the blonde girl…_became_ the red-haired girl, who disappeared into a white oblivion.

'What's going on here? I know both of these people, and yet…suddenly, I don't remember their names.' The images vanished, and Nexis had to rethink things a bit.

'I know her name…the red-haired girl, at least. It starts with an 'L'…L…La…La-

Larxene.'


	5. Chapter 5

"Yeah…I remember now…Larxene…" Nexis felt a strange hatred, but he didn't know why. It couldn't possibly be toward Larxene; it must have been for that other girl.

"And I also remember that I didn't like that blonde girl at all. I wonder why I forgot all of this?" Nexis stared out the window, as he had so many times whenever he needed to think. He needed time to sort through his memories, because as it was, he couldn't remember much of anything very clearly.

The doorbell rang, and he went downstairs to answer it. When he opened the door, no one was there, but there was a letter on the doorstep. He picked it up, closing the door as he went inside. He opened the envelope and read the letter slowly, taking in every detail.

_I'm sorry I can't meet you yet,_

_But I will._

_There are just some things I need to take care of first._

_We will see each other soon;_

_I promise._

He almost dropped the letter upon reading the last line. '_I promise_…it must be her!' Nexis smiled at the thought of possibly reuniting with his friend. 'Maybe things will turn out alright after all,' he thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"And now for the other half of my plan," Larxene muttered to herself. By pure luck she had found Laska staying at a hotel in Twilight Town. How she had survived her murder, Larxene vowed to find out. Instead of killing Laska, however, Larxene decided to make her suffer even more.

Larxene took the folded note out of her pocket, handing it to the receptionist at the hotel's front counter and telling her whom it was for. She left swiftly before anyone could have recognized her. She smirked to herself, recalling the words she had written.

_I remember you, Laska._

_I would like to meet you,_

_But there are some things I need to do first._

_However, I will see you soon._

_I promise._

She could only wait for her plan to fall into place. If all went well, Nexis would be hers, his memories of Laska would be gone, and Laska would be in complete despair.

It was perfect; all she had to do now was be patient.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Can I _please_ kill her now, Xemnas?" Xigbar pleaded. Xemnas stared at him emotionlessly.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"She gouged my eye out with those retarded knives."

"You'll get over it." Xigbar sighed, hating Larxene. He and Lexaeus had been assigned to keep an eye on her; she had avoided her death, much like many other Organization members, and Vexen wanted to know why. Xigbar resented taking orders from anyone of lower rank than him, but Xemnas had given Vexen permission to study the blond Nobody by any means necessary.

Under the guise of an old shopkeeper, Xigbar had sent a Dusk to steal the bracelet from Nexis. Vexen then created a powder that could replace memories, giving it to Xigbar. Lexaeus, also disguised, entered the shop and spoke to Xigbar, creating a convenient scenario for Larxene to steal the powder. Xigbar had offered the bracelet to her, arousing her suspicions, but the plan went on without difficulties. Axel secretly gave her enough money to pay for the bracelet, which she did.

Xigbar had to admit; playing a charade on such a simple-minded girl had been fun at first.

But after losing one eye to her rage, he had begun to regret it. He subconsciously traced a hand over the eye patch and fresh scars on his face, feeling like an extremely annoyed pirate.

Turning to leave, he spotted Vexen at the end of the hallway. If there was anyone Xigbar hated more than Larxene, it was Vexen.

"Are you happy, Number Four?" Xigbar asked in a clearly annoyed tone, pointing out the new additions to his face. Vexen smirked at him, laughing like the ridiculous old clown he was.

"Certainly. I have gathered intriguing data that points to a very satisfying conclusion."

"Which is…"

"Nothing is eternal. And since we are nothing, we will last forever. Think about it. Many of us have been killed by either the Keyblade Master or each other, yet here we are. We can never disappear. This is proven by the fact that-"  
"Don't wanna hear it. Wonder why I even asked…" Xigbar left, Vexen smirking behind him.

"That was not a very nice thing to do, Vexen," said a voice from behind him. Vexen turned, any trace of glee gone from his face.  
"What do you want, Zexion? I'm sure you have better things to be doing."  
"Why did you let another member get hurt like that? He was only helping you."  
"All in the name of science, I assure you," Vexen said, confident he would win this argument.

"But you let him lose an eye. He outranks you. What if Xemnas-" Zexion never finished his sentence, for Vexen had wrapped a gloved hand around his throat.

"Listen, you worthless excuse for a Nobody. I outrank _you_. I don't care about what happened to Xigbar, and you shouldn't, either. We are Nobodies. We have no emotions. Compassion is an emotion, one we do not have. So just shut up with all this nonsense about 'That's not fair' and 'That's not nice,' because they don't mean a thing to me. Minor problems mean nothing in the grand scheme of things." Throwing Zexion against the wall, Vexen stalked off.

"You said yourself that nothing is eternal," he shouted after the scientist. "So what may seem minor to you will last forever, and it will come back to get you eventually. Do not underestimate the power of nothing, Vexen." Vexen pretended not to have heard the younger man's outburst, walking silently through the corridors of the Castle.

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Laska awoke the next day, sensing that something significant would happen to her, though she wasn't sure what. She walked downstairs to the front entrance of the hotel. It was a fairly elegant place, but still not too expensive. As she passed, the receptionist called her name. Laska approached the marble counter, curious.

"You have a letter," she said simply, handing over the folded piece of paper. Laska carefully took it, thanking the woman, and sat down on a nearby bench to read it. It was only a few lines long.

_I remember you, Laska._

_I would like to meet you,_

_But there are some things I need to do first._

_However, I will see you soon._

_I promise._

A look of disbelief crossed her face. 'Could it really be him? How did he know where I was?' She folded the letter and put it in her pocket, leaving the building. She walked along the street for a while in contemplation, not entirely sure of where she was going.

Laska passed a small shop and decided to go inside, having nothing better to do. A tiny bell rang as she entered, and she looked around at the various antiques. As she passed the counter, she saw an old man stir slightly, and took a brief moment to study him. His face had two deep scars, and an eye patch covered one eye, while the other glowed neon orange. He stared at her, as if he recognized her. She swiftly turned away and left the small shop, an uneasy feeling settling on her.

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Xigbar watched as Laska quickly left the shop, and called Lexaeus.

"Did you see that girl?" he asked. Lexaeus nodded.

"That was Laska, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I think Vexen will find this very 'intriguing'."


	6. Chapter 6

Laska awoke suddenly. Breathing in with deep gulps of air, she mentally reassured herself that it was merely a nightmare, nothing more. She sat on the edge of the bed, the dream replaying itself in her head again and again.

She saw Heartless everywhere, a black sea of yellow eyes all glaring at her, waiting to capture her heart. She felt terrified, unable to think or move.

Then she heard a voice, a familiar and cruel one.

"This is too bad. I wanted to have more fun. Unfortunately, it's over for you." Laska looked around wildly for the voice, unable to find it.  
"Larxene! What do you want from me?" Laska cried. A wild cackle was her answer.

""Farewell, you worthless being!" The Heartless shifted and melted together, forming a mass of pure darkness. Suddenly, a spear of lightning crashed through Laska's heart, shocking her entire body. She felt completely numb. She lifelessly fell into the dark abyss, seeing and feeling nothing but death.

Someone caught her. She had fallen back into Nexis's arms, and saw his face twist in horror and sadness upon seeing her dead. She felt tears on her face, and knew that she was fading away.

That was when she had woken up, afraid and alone. She rose from the bed and silently stepped over to the window, opening it slightly to let in a breeze.

'Nexis, I miss you so much…' She sighed sadly, feelings of pain filling her heart. She tried not to cry, but thinking of Nexis often brought out feelings of loss and regret within her. The tears began to slowly roll down the sides of her face as all the pain she felt came crashing down around her. All the time there was silence, the silence of her heart.

"Nexis…where are you? I need you," she said in choked whispers. A warm breeze swirled around her, drying her tears as if to comfort her. In spite of the painful emotions, a smile came to her face.

Then she heard Nexis's voice.

"I'm sorry. You know I hate to see you so sad. I feel horrible that I haven't been able to meet you yet, but I swear I will soon. Don't give up." His voice was inside her head, though it was as clear as if he stood next to her. 'I won't give up. Not yet,' she thought silently, walking back to her bed and laying down on top of it. 'Not yet…'

* * *

Nexis had a strange dream that night as well. Everything around him was dark, and he ran through it madly, trying to finds any trace of light. Someone appeared in front of him, falling backwards. He instinctively caught her, sensing this to be very familiar. It was a girl with red hair and sad, light blue eyes. She faded into nothing in his arms, and he fought the urge to cry.

Then the scenery changed to a furnished room, window open and swaying slightly in the warm summer breezes. The same girl stood in front of it, surveying Twilight Town. She was crying silently, then took a breath and spoke.

"Nexis…where are you? I need you…" He stepped toward her, reaching out to her.

"I'm sorry. You know I hate to see you so sad. I feel horrible that I haven't been able to meet you yet, but I swear I will soon. Don't give up." She suddenly turned around and walked right by him, crossing the room to the bed. 'I won't give up,' she thought. 'Not yet.' Nexis could hear her thoughts, but the dream ended before he could respond.

He woke up in the middle of the night, confused by the dream. 'That must have been Larxene,' he thought. 'At least she's okay. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her…' Nexis had a headache, as he often had been recently. The pulsing feeling hovered over his right eye, the one with the scar. It happened every time he thought of the red-haired girl, and he wasn't sure why. 'I'm sure it's because I miss her. Once we're together again, it will stop.' He stayed awake for a while, trying to convince himself of this. A voice in his head told him it was a lie, all of it, and that he was falling into a trap. The headache only worsened, eventually forcing him to forget about the matter entirely. He didn't want his head to explode, after all.

* * *

"Vexen!" Lexaeus burst into the lab, almost giving Vexen a heart attack. He nearly threw the beaker of liquid he held into the air, managing to stop himself in time. He swore to punish Lexaeus for this as he turned around, a snarl of anger on his face.

"Can't you see I'm busy? If I had dropped this, it would have blown us all to the End of the World! What do you want?" It was a lie. The beaker only held blue-colored water, but Lexaeus bowed swiftly in apology anyway.

"I'm sorry, Number Four. But Xigbar sent me to find you. We have news about the experiment."  
"What is it, then? I need to get back to work."  
"We found Laska." Vexen dropped the beaker. It shattered into tiny, glittering fragments of glass on the tiled floor. Lexaeus stepped back, expecting an explosion, but when nothing happened, he glared at Vexen. The old clown had gotten him to _bow_! No one had ever made such a fool out of him. But he respected Vexen's rank, and said nothing.

"How? She was supposed to be gone forever! At the very least she should be a Nobody."  
"I'm afraid she is alive and well, sir. Xigbar and I saw her ourselves."  
"I'm surprised Xigbar can see at all anymore." Vexen froze all the glass fragments and water in a block of blue ice, and it vanished. "Nevertheless, this is an intriguing finding."

"He said you'd say that."  
"I'm sure he did. Continue to monitor the girl, Lexaeus, and tell me if anything new develops. Now get out of here. I'm busy." Lexaeus obediently left, making a mental note to tell Xigbar to hurt Vexen. It never hurt to have a friend in the higher ranks.

* * *

"So, what'd he say?" Xigbar asked lazily, lounging in an extremely comfortable chair. Lexaeus tried not to roll his eyes.  
"He said to keep monitoring her and to tell him if anything new comes up."

"Well, have fun with that. I've got better things to do."  
"That's not fair! I shouldn't have to do this by myself."

"He _did_ only say your name, didn't he? Besides he has no control over me." Xigbar grabbed the nearly empty bottle of whiskey he kept nearby, draining it in one gulp. 'This qualifies as 'better things to do,' now, does it?' thought Lexaeus. He still remained silent.

"What are you waiting for? I believe you have an assignment from high-and-mighty Number Four." He turned to leave, but stopped, remembering something. He glanced at Xigbar, who was almost asleep.

"Is there any way you could punish Vexen for me, Xigbar?" Xigbar was instantly alert, single eye flashing with ideas.

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Axel arrived in front of an intricately carved black-and-white door. A metallic number one was staring him in the face, mocking him. They had found him, and he knew he was going to get punishment. All that remained was to see how long he would last before he was gone.

In his mind he cursed Saïx, hoping his demise would be ten times more painful than his own. The wolf-like man had found him, then had run off like the dog he was to tell Xemnas. No doubt the Superior already knew where Axel was; Vexen's little experiment had included him, after all. But Saïx decided to tell on him anyway, a slave to his master. Axel harbored no fear of the man; it was the Superior he was truly afraid of. He knew he could run from Saïx, but he dared not disrespect Xemnas. Better to get it over with now than to be caught running away later.

"You may enter, Axel," a cold voice said through the door. Axel took a deep breath, eyes filled with worry. He slinked through the doorway, and the heavy door slammed shut behind him. He was completely surrounded with darkness, and it was cold.

"You know why you are here, I assume." Axel nodded silently, running over the list in his mind. 'Running away from the Organization, having my own agenda, killing Vexen, threatening Marluxia and Naminé, disobeying Marluxia's orders, being a traitor, actually being friends with Roxas, and being born. In no particular order.'

"I have a special assignment for you." His head snapped up.

"What?"

"If you complete this, all your past failures will be overlooked. You can return to your former status, Axel." Axel could only blinked. When they had formed Organization XIII, he had originally been chosen as second in command. But that didn't last long, thanks to his attitude and way of accomplishing things.

"What do I have to do?" he asked in an unusually cold voice. Determination had overtaken him; if he had a chance to regain his rank, he could eventually control the Organization. The lure of power was too strong.

"Eliminate Larxene, Laska, Nexis, and Roxas." His mind went blank. Larxene he would kill without hesitation. He still considered Laska a friend, and though he hated Nexis, he shuddered to think of what Laska would do to him if he were killed. If he did go through with this, he would be ranked much higher than Saïx and Vexen, both of which he despised. But Roxas?

He couldn't do it.

"Is something wrong, Number Eight?"  
"N-no. I'll get right on it. May I ask why?"

"Larxene has become an annoyance, and we have lost track of her. Laska and Nexis were once in the Organization, and did not die. They could reveal our secrets to Sora. And if Roxas were to rejoin with Sora, we would not stand a chance. Succeed, and you will return to the rank of Number Two. Fail, and you become a Dusk. Understood?"

"Yes sir. I will not fail." Axel opened a portal and left, green eyes burning with a mix of burning determination and cold worry. Xemnas sat back and smiled to himself.

"Saïx, spy on him. Make sure he does exactly as I have said. If not, carry out his punishment a step early." Saïx stepped out of one corner of the room, grinning wolfishly. He bowed deeply.

"It would be my pleasure."


End file.
